The Places to Go Eating and Drinking in Batam Island

There’s probably nowhere in the world where you’ll find fresher seafood than what you will get from the inhabited islands around the sea. And in Batam Island, a city island in the Riau Archipelago of Sumatra, fresh seafood is so popular visitors often hit the restaurants first when they arrive in the island. Want to know why? Well, it’s probably time to go eating and drinking in Batam Island, then.

Batam’s local delicacies

The foods in Batam are often fusions of Asian and Western cuisines. Malls and the streets teem with food courts and restaurants. Along the streets, cheap foods are also available in unpretentious little food kiosks called warung. Warungs are also known for serving barbecued and grilled fishes as well, although they’re probably not as fresh as the ones you’ll get in food stalls along the coasts.

In restaurants, eating fresh seafood often means choosing a live fish in a tank to be cooked on your request. Pujaseras or Food Courts in the malls offer inexpensive foods in their refreshing al fresco areas.

There are five areas in Batam where restaurants packed, and where you’ll be able to find both affordable and the most expensive restaurants that Batam has to offer. Head on to Nagoya City, Batam Center, Nongsa, Sekupang and the Waterfront City for a taste of Batam’s local foods, delicacies as well as international cuisines.

Some of the restaurants you’ll find in some areas include:

NAGOYA CITY

Pondok Kelapa Gading Restaurant

Yonkee Restaurant

Sindo Happy Pujasera

Harbor Bay Food Court

888 Sea food Restaurant

Kak Dadut Restaurant

BATAM CENTER

Yonkee Restaurant

Fisherman Seafood Restaurant

Golden Prawn Seafood Restaurant

WATERFRONT CITY

Queen’s Restaurant and Café

Delima Seafood Restaurant

When night time falls, you can head on to bars, pubs and watering holes that you’ll find are plenty in Batam. Sleazy night life areas in Batam are numerous and are actually no secret. For clean night fun and drinking, you can check out the following:

NAGOYA CITY

Nagoya is by far the busiest area in Batam, and this is true as well when it comes to night entertainment. You’ll find most night clubs located just behind the Harmoni Hotel, the Goodway Hotel and the Panaroma Hotel. Some of the clubs, karaokes and bars you’ll find include the Lucy’s Oarhouse, PP Banana GoGo, Rio Rita, Jungle Bar, Classics, Red Cock, Bistro, Ice Pub, Steps Music Lounge, Memori Karaoke, Hawaii Karaoke, Hotel Pelita Karaoke and many others.

Be warned, though that these places are public and could easily turn shady with the presence of women offering a different kind of fun. If you don’t want to risk running into one, your best bets are the wine bars located in decent and respectable hotels. There are nice bars in Planet Hotel, Goodway Hotel and the Harmoni Hotels you could try and check out. On some nights, these bars also offer live music entertainment.

Then, if you’re tired of Nagoya, you might want to visit the Batam Center arae. There are several discos in Batam and some of the most popular include Pacific, Planet, Spinx, and Ozon. But whether you choose to go in Nagoya or Batam, be sure to try locally produced beers like Carlsberg, Guinness, Bintang and Tiger beers. The Heineken is said to be cheaper in the island too.

Indeed, there are many places to go eating and drinking in Batam Island, and they’re all sure to add to the richness of your holiday experience in the island. But don’t take our word for it. Go try it now!

Sarah loves traveling the world. She started with a simple domestic trip and the rest was history, including her savings. She has been living around South East Asia for the past years and another continent looks to be her next destination.